The Stupid Stuff They Watched Me Do

Having faith in someone else can be an immeasurably powerful act.  It is often most powerful when it comes from an unexpected source.  Today, I had a long, meandering conversation with someone who needed just needed someone to believe in him.  I did.  It has changed both of us.

Every time I can do this, I recognize it for the gift that it is.  It is easy to recognize when, months later, you can see the results speaking for themselves.  Confidence.  Knowledge.  Passion.  Happiness.  They don’t come from me, of course.  They were there all along, right within the individual’s reach.  All they needed was a little push to help them get started up the hill.  When you can help someone through a rough spot, watching them use their own strength to exceed your expectations and their own expectations is nothing short of joyous.  

We all need help getting up those hills.  And we can all help others during their struggles.  It takes a little compassion, a little love, and a little faith.  A little blind, selfless faith.  We can all give it when we see others in need, and we can all draw upon it when it is given by others.  When we give, we receive, and when we receive, we give right back.  

There are times when I doubt my ability as a leader.  I wonder if I have made the difference that I strive to make.  Sometimes, the people right in front of me let me know that I have.  Sometimes, I can’t seem to find what I am looking for.  Someone who used to report to me once wrote to me and told me that they sometimes ask themselves, “What would Ric do?”  When I feel the pity party picking up steam, I remind myself of that note.  It is my reminder that I did something right, at least once.  Besides, who do I know that the unwritten sentence wasn’t, “I ask myself that because I wan’t to make sure that I never do anything of the stupid shit I watched you do.”  I don’t.  And it doesn’t matter.  If my purpose in life is to serve as nothing more than a warning sign to others, then I humbly accept that role.  

I like to think that the faith I’ve had in others has made a difference to them.  Their faith in me has made a difference in mine.